DEVOTION – DAY 440

Hebrews 5:7 “God Hears ”

Hebrews 5:7 “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.”

The writer of Hebrews in v7 was referring to the times when Jesus prayed to God, the Father in the garden of Gethsemane, and later when he was being crucified. Jesus did not back away from physical suffering or death. He did not worry about that. What Jesus dreaded most was the indescribable agony of carrying the weight of mankind’s sins on Himself. He was without sin and He came to die for the sins of mankind. Although Jesus did ask if the cup of suffering could be taken from Him, Jesus never waver in His determination to do what God, the Father wanted Him to do. Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified on the cross, to hang there until He died. He took on the pain, shame and suffering for our sins. He took our place on the cross. God heard Jesus’ prayers and His prayers were answered because God saved Jesus from death – Jesus was resurrected on the third day. 

We celebrated Easter Sunday on March 31, 2024. It was to remember the resurrection of Jesus more than 2000 years ago. His resurrection proved that God, the Father, has accepted Jesus’ great sacrifice on the cross. His death and crucifixion on the cross had atoned for the sins of mankind. Thus, when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, that He died on the cross for our sins, the judgment for our sins have been fully paid for. As Jesus was resurrected, every Christian is also resurrected to a new life in Christ. 

One family of four chose to be baptized on March 31, 2024 in our church. They had been from a different faith. They had believed that God would forgive their sins if they did enough good works, and if they tried to be good. But they were never sure if their good works were enough or if they ever met God’s standards of goodness. Then, they heard the gospel and they knew that in their hearts Jesus had come to die for their sins. They opened their hearts to invite Jesus Christ in, as their Lord and Savior. They asked to be baptized. They wanted to undergo water baptism to be identified that they had been resurrected to a new life in Christ. We praise God for their decision.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, We worship You, for You have saved us through the work of Your Son, the Lord Jesus. Please help us to live fruitful lives as your channel of blessing to a world that needs to experience Your love, mercy and grace. We pray this in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If not, why not? What is holding you back? Share.
  2. Why do some people think that they can be saved by doing good works and by being good people? Discuss.
  3. Why is it important that God, the Father resurrected Jesus from the dead? Discuss.